Best Amp for Hard Rock/Metal under $300?

Re: Best Amp for Hard Rock/Metal under $300?

Securb said:
Do you plan on gigging with it? Or playing with a drummer? My favorite budget amp is the Marshall VS100. 60/100 watts, 1x12 speaker, pure Marshall tone and decent spring reverb. I had one for years and just sold it to make room. Aceman also plays one and swears by it. It is a very warm sounding amp with great built in gain and tons of headroom. It also delivers beautiful cleans. I paid around $225 for mine I think Ace got his even cheaper.
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What do you make of this?
http://www.musicgoround.com/p/436392/used-marshall-avt50-valvestate-2000-1x12-combo-amp
 
Re: Best Amp for Hard Rock/Metal under $300?

By the way, no one has experience with the Randall RVC? It's also known as the RD5C, and from what I hear, it's an amazing little tuber. Would be my first Tube amp, haha. :D
 
Re: Best Amp for Hard Rock/Metal under $300?

EuphoriX said:
Specifically which jet city models? Cause it seems like most of them are for blues.
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Most blues guys I know wouldn't touch a Jet City amp, they don't want anywhere near that much gain. The 50 watt head or combo is great for rock stuff and would be good enough for some types of metal with a boost on the front end.
 
Re: Best Amp for Hard Rock/Metal under $300?

EuphoriX said:
By the way, no one has experience with the Randall RVC? It's also known as the RD5C, and from what I hear, it's an amazing little tuber. Would be my first Tube amp, haha. :D
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I have the little RD1H, that I use for recording. I love that amp! It's not loud at all, but the recorded tones are great. The 5 watter shouldn't be too different, unless it's one of the Pre-Fortin releases.

I believe, though I could be wrong, that the RVC was a release specific to MF, or Guitar Center. I'll have to look around a little, but if it was that amp, it is not a Fortin tweaked or designed amp. The later Fortin tweaked amps do seem to get more appreciation than the others. Mike Fortin can work magic on an amp.
 
Re: Best Amp for Hard Rock/Metal under $300?

GC Used should have a great selection of Bandits
Figure in $100 for a speaker change
Most are there because of the crappy speakers
 
Re: Best Amp for Hard Rock/Metal under $300?

To add mud to the waters, I picked up a 70s Peavey Classic VT for $200 a couple of months ago. Great cleans and loves distortion pedals. From what I read, it has the same solid state preamp circuit as the Peavey Mace that Lynyrd Skynyrd (and pretty much every Southern Rock band) used.

In fact, the Classic(of that era, different from Classics that followed), Heritage, Deuce, and Mace all shared that circuit with different wattage/ # of output tubes. My Classic VT is 50 Watts and while still very loud, is the most modest of the bunch.

If you had to put another $100 in for a re-cap/cleaning you'd still be in budget and speaking for myself it's a great sounding classic rock amp that can easily be driven into heavy distortion.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
 
Re: Best Amp for Hard Rock/Metal under $300?

So, I reached a decision, and bought a used Peavey RedStripe USA made Bandit for $139 on guitar center with $30 shipping. I was strongly considering this one, (Because like the transfex... sheffields) but this video sold me... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4nOF9zXadM
I will let you all know how it turns out. Thank you for the suggestions.
 
Re: Best Amp for Hard Rock/Metal under $300?

At the end of the day you can play hard rock and metal on any amp. I ran a hard rock/metal club for years and would see every amp in the world come through the doors. It was usually the guys that didn't use JCM800's that had the best tones and stood out in the crowd. When you have 5 bands a night and every guitarist has a JCM800, Charvel and a RAT, the guy with the different tone is typically the one that stands out.
 
Re: Best Amp for Hard Rock/Metal under $300?

You can indeed play on any amp. (that functions, haha). But I wanted something in particular with a lot of saturation and beef when muting and playing chords. Distortion is one thing, and can be done easily with a pedal... but that meaty fullness in the tone... that's what I like.
 
Re: Best Amp for Hard Rock/Metal under $300?

Why not save up, sell some gear if needed and get a solid, gig worth amp in the $400 - $500 range?
 
Re: Best Amp for Hard Rock/Metal under $300?

Jett city. Amp circuits designed by Mike Soldano who is famous for his hard rock tones. The Valvestate would be a good choice too for a good tube like tone. Old Carvin x100 as mentioned. If you can put together a tiny bit more bread, 5150.
 
Re: Best Amp for Hard Rock/Metal under $300?

Just got a JCA50 (Jet City 50 watt 1x12 combo) for $300 plus tax. Sounds just like a hot-rodded Marshall.

It could to blues, but you'd have to be very disciplined with the gain knob....



Larry
 
Re: Best Amp for Hard Rock/Metal under $300?

+1 on the Carvins, I'm not an expert but they definitely get love. For SS, I'd look at Randall, the Dimebag Darrell amp. I think the RG80 is pretty new/pretty good. One of the models had a few sketchy reviews (maaaybe the rg75). It's probably my first choice for solid state, I wouldn't be interested in the Bandit for what I seem them selling for, but Peavey did make some tube amps before the 5150 and other killers. Hunt around, you'll find things. Jet City and Bugera both have 50-120 want amps for cheap. I have to guess they'd all work for rock and metal. I'd love to get several amps, and by coincidence, most of them are $300 or less right now.
 
Re: Best Amp for Hard Rock/Metal under $300?

Responding directly to the original question, I've never found such an amp. When my band was ready to do shows I spent about $800AUD on a Randall halfstack which was much cheaper than anything else that fit the bill at the time and did the job wonderfully. I definitely wouldn't have gone with anything cheaper because it just wouldn't have cut the mustard. If you look at this sub-forum you will find many threads asking a very similar question and while I admire their thriftiness, you're just not going thousand dollar amp sounds with pocket change unless you luck out on the used market or there are some killer specials going on. I have never paid retail price for my high end amplifiers.

Securb said:
At the end of the day you can play hard rock and metal on any amp. I ran a hard rock/metal club for years and would see every amp in the world come through the doors. It was usually the guys that didn't use JCM800's that had the best tones and stood out in the crowd. When you have 5 bands a night and every guitarist has a JCM800, Charvel and a RAT, the guy with the different tone is typically the one that stands out.
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This is true. You've just got to get out there, play some guitar and find something you like. Some of your favourite sounds from your favourite albums were concocted on shoestring budgets before the bands could afford the top of the line amplifiers.
 
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